We at ITUP drafted a guest blog for Health DATAbytes that speaks to the way accurate data enable us to do our job and do it better. Here’s a quick snapshot of that post…

It has been quite an exciting time for health policy in America! With passage of landmark health reform legislation last March, we sit on the precipice of our country’s single largest expansion of coverage, the greatest simplification of our health care and delivery systems, and the potential to radically improve public health.

However, to reach those potentials and ensure robust implementation of reform, it will be imperative that members of the public – especially those who will gain coverage through these policies – are knowledgeable about the law and how it will affect them.

Typical media coverage of health reform is not proportionate to the public’s knowledge of the details, which is admittedly difficult considering the length and density of the bill. Beginning last year, many federal regulations were instituted, hundreds of state-level bills were passed, and large funds were allocated, all with the goal of implementing these measures. This web of action only makes it more difficult for everyone – the uninsured, under-insured, and already insured – to comprehend how this legislation will affect them personally.

In our experience at ITUP arguably the best way to increase this knowledge is through the use and dissemination of public health data. Since our founding in 1996, we have relied on research by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research in our public awareness and education efforts. In particular, since its launch in 2001, we have continually looked to the Center’s California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) for the most accurate and reliable information on the state of Californian’s health, insurance coverage and access to care…